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Importance Of Survival In Memoir Farewell To Manzanar

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Charles Darwin once stated that “It's not the strongest nor the smartest species that survive, it is the species that can adapt most quickly that can survive”. Survival requires many skills, but it is key to adapt to live , many people have demonstrated this such as Elie Wiesel in his novel Night, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston in her Memoir Farewell to Manzanar and Paul Rusesabagina in An Ordinary Man.Their preference of adapting themselves rather than facing consequences was retained in some of the most well-known survivors in the world. These people overcame their situation by adapting and slowly taking control of it. Flexibility and the ability to modify helped people such as Elie, Paul Rusesabagina and Jeanne survive through …show more content…

For example, when Elie was rushed in during a raid with the mobs he “forgot I (he) had a father ”(page 112). Elie in the name of survival follows the mobs and focuses on himself, he forgets the existence of his father until the ordeal was over. This ignorance of someone who was considered to be very close to Elie is a very controversial step, but it helped him survive to tell the story because he could worry about his welfare only and not be distracted or dragged down by his father ailments. As this ability to readjust to the camp became an innate part of Elie, there were “No prayers were said on his (Elie's father's) tomb ...(Elie thought he was) Free at last !” (page 115). His ability to recuperate in such an abrupt fashion by not mourning at the least for his father who kept him alive as long as he can is inhumane, but his sacrifice of humanity is a change that is what ultimately allowed him to be alive and to carry the name of his kin.This ability to adapt is what helped Elie survive through what was to leave one suffering or dead. Elie’s debatable but necessary actions are what allowed him to survive and piece together his life

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